Five Budget Games To Get You Through The Summer Games Drought

It has crept up on us slowly but now it is here. Mario Kart 8 and Prey are the last two big releases before the E3 period. Most gamers relish this period as it gives them a chance to dig into their pile of shame and get caught up with gaming. After Horizon Zero Dawn and Zelda Breath of the Wild consumed so much time at the beginning of the year the time is right to now get caught up or discover some hidden gems. However it also means there is less for us to write about, hence this list.

Darksiders Or Darksiders 2

Firstly Darksiders and its sequel. If possible get the remastered editions on PS4/Xboxone. The time is perfect to jump into these two games. Both are of a similar style and at the time were the only real next-gen versions of the Zelda style game. Get a new skill, then use that skill to do a previously unreachable dungeon. Rinse and repeat through thirty hours of well-crafted and surprising gameplay. The sequel kept the quality going but tried to add a random loot system. Some will like this, others won’t but both games stand the test of time well in their remastered state and are a great continuation if you have just stepped off Horizon or Zelda. There is also the matter of a Darksiders 3 reveal that will likely be another quality entry this time on current gen technology. Both games can be picked up quite cheaply.

Tropico 5

I have a soft spot for the Tropico series. On a console, there are few games to touch its mix of strategy, city building and all out fun. If you have any interest in city-builders and historical politics then it is hard not to recommend this game. Available now in the Penultimo edition, it puts you in a number of scenarios that all begin with your small dictator and his secret guard trying to make money and prosper off the American and Russian superpowers. Even writing about it makes me want to play it again. It is one of the few games you can play to properly relax and despite the recent release of Cities Skylines on Xbox one, Tropico 5 remains the best all-rounder for city builders who like a touch of strategy.

Yakuza 0

Yakuza 0 is the prequel to all the Yakuza games that have come before on Playstation. Because it is a prequel it is the perfect point to jump into the series or have a try if you have always been curious. Playing the game feels like a traditional Japanese RPG. You walk from point to point and have to deal with random encounters along the way. That is a very rough view of Japanese RPGs but from Pokémon to Final Fantasy they all have the random battle element. In Yakuza the battles are actually the best part so the annoyance of a random battle doesn’t come into play. The fighting system is as close as we are going to get to a modern Streets Of Rage or Final Fight with weapons and environmental beat downs. The story itself is a long sprawling Japanese gangster Epic with difficult boss battles and long cut scenes, but if you are looking for something different, this is a lengthy distraction from the norm including Karaoke and many other Japanese 80’s stereotypes.

Attack On Titan Wings Of Freedom

Now for a completely different style. Based on the popular Manga, Attack On Titan is a third person hack and slash where you use Spiderman-like movement to swing from ropes and attack lumbering, naked giants. Very much in keeping with the series the game is a satisfying retelling of the early part of the first series of the show. There are some turret sections and third person combat but the majority will be spent traversing the environment in an effort to get on the blindside of these giants and hit their weak spots. The story is completely insane yet gripping and this may be the game to get you into the series. If not it is a nice palette cleanser from many other experiences out there.

Wolfenstein The New Order

Coming early in the life of the PS4. Wolfenstein is one of the best FPS games ever. It is a purely single-player, story-driven adventure that is focussed on telling the bloodthirsty and old-school story of B.J. Blazkowicz as he is injured and has to wake up in the future where the Nazis have won. From the epic opening assault on Castle Wolfenstein to the ruins of the Modern day New York and even Space this game truly has it all. It is difficult yet fair and will remind you what a good shooter campaign really is. It is not a tacked on 6-hour training session for the multiplayer, it is a 20-hour campaign with progressively difficult enemies in wonderful locations. If you liked the recent Doom reboot then this is even better.